simile C2+ Topic:Communication US /ˈsɪməli/ UK /ˈsɪmɪli/ See IPA manual Homophones similarly /ˈsɪm.əli/ Meanings 1 noun a figure of speech comparing two things using 'like' or 'as' 'As brave as a lion' is a classic simile. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · a figure of speech... comparisonlikenessanalogymetaphorparallel Word family Related forms similarsimilitudeassimilatesemblance Etymology AI details From Latin simile ('a like thing'), the neuter of similis ('like, resembling'). simile Latin similis Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Communication External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # simile **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈsɪməli/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈsɪmɪli/ ## Meanings 1. a figure of speech comparing two things using 'like' or 'as' ## Examples - 'As brave as a lion' is a classic simile. ## Synonyms - comparison - likeness - analogy - metaphor - parallel ## Related Forms - similar - similitude - assimilate - semblance ## Roots and Affixes - Root: simile - Root: similis ## Etymology From Latin simile ('a like thing'), the neuter of similis ('like, resembling'). ## AI Etymology Simile comes from Latin simile ('a like thing'), the neuter of similis ('like, resembling'). The historical chain includes Latin simile and Latin similis. The quoted older senses, "a like thing" and "like, resembling", supply the semantic anchors for simile. The formation is best read as borrowed: the word simile carries its older form-history into a compact English lexical shape. In present English it is used as a noun, "a figure of speech comparing two things using 'like' or 'as'". Related English forms include similar, similitude, assimilate, and semblance. The result is a noun whose etymology preserves both the older form and the later English specialization. ## Topics - Communication markdown